"Six-hundred seventy-nine Ukrainian girls and boys will never be able to play football — Russia killed them," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said after FIFA President Gianni Infantino backed lifting the ban on Russian athletes.

"Ukraine has not forgotten any of the thousands of Shaheds that attack our cities and villages, our people," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 2.

Life in Kyiv right now is difficult for any 51-year-old, but when you are also a western lowland gorilla more suited to the warmth of central Africa, the ongoing energy crisis is particularly tough. This is the current plight of Tony, one of the oldest residents of Kyiv Zoo, a popular attraction in the capital that is somehow managing to stay functioning even as Russia continues its relentless campaign to freeze Ukraine into submission. Zoo technician Anastasiia Larionova is one of the team of

This is Asami Terajima reporting from a very cold Kyiv on day 1,440 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Russian troops are trying to "bypass and infiltrate" the destroyed town of Vovchansk in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, and the situation is "frankly difficult," Viktor Tregubov, a spokesman for Ukraine's Joint Forces in charge of the area, said on Feb. 2. Speaking on national TV, Tregubov said Russian troops are pressing on Ukrainian positions on the outskirts of Vo

Witkoff is then reportedly expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials in Istanbul on Feb. 6 to discuss details of a potential nuclear deal amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions.

"This will help END THE WAR in Ukraine," Trump said on Truth Social after holding a phone call with Modi, adding that the Indian leader agreed "to buy much more (oil) from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela."

After spotting "objects resembling balloons" on radar, Polish military and security forces quickly intercepted them and detained individuals suspected of involvement, the Polish military said.

"They are trying to kill us with hunger and cold," one Kyiv resident told the Kyiv Independent.

Russia struck a coal mine operated by Ukraine's biggest private energy firm, DTEK, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast for the second time over the past day, the company said on Feb. 2.

"Without Russian oil and gas, our energy security cannot be guaranteed, nor can low energy costs be maintained for Hungarian families," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

The Ukrainian government approved a resolution on Feb. 2 mandating the registration of Starlink terminals to prevent their use by Russian forces, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced.

Reuters reported in December that Hyundai was unable to use the buyback option due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia are set to meet in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4-5 for a new round of talks as part of ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace deal, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 1.

"There were moments when there was a serious shortage of these missiles. I won't reveal any secrets. For example, there is a NASAMS system, but instead of six missiles in the launcher, there are only two," Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force's communications department, said.

Some 43% of Ukrainians do not believe that the war with Russia will end in 2026, up 14% from December, according to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

Explosions were reported overnight Feb. 2 in Russia's Belgorod region, where officials said an alleged Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire in the city of Stary Oskol.

Russia launched a mass attack, targeting mines of DTEK, Ukraine's biggest private energy firm, the company said. One of the strikes hit a service bus in the town of Ternivka, which was transporting miners after their shift.

Key developments on Jan. 31-Feb. 1: * Ukraine sees 'real results' from blocking Russia’s Starlink use, defense minister says * Russia attacks bus carrying Ukrainian miners, kills 15, injures 15 * Ukraine, US, Russia to meet in UAE next week for new round of peace talks, Zelensky says * Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia injure at least 9, maternity hospital damaged * Russian officials call for 'more powerful weapons' to attack Ukraine as temperatures drop SpaceX's initial steps to stop Russi

"Whether there are strikes or not, hundreds of buildings in Kyiv are still without heating. This means that the work being done in the city is not enough."

Russian troops launched two attacks on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Feb. 1, injuring at least nine people, including a child, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, the Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains how martial law shapes daily life in Ukraine amid the country's harshest winter since the full-scale invasion.

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said a system would soon be introduced to ensure only authorized terminals can operate in Ukraine. Unverified terminals will be disabled.

On Jan. 24, Ukraine's Air Force reported intercepting nine Kh-32 missiles, drawing renewed attention to a weapon that Russia has until now used sparingly in attacks on Ukraine, but often with devastating consequences. Known for its high speed and steep flight profile, the missile has long posed a serious challenge for Ukraine’s air defenses, with advanced systems such as the U.S.-supplied Patriot among the few capable of countering it. The missile is extremely difficult to intercept, due to it

Ukrainian forces downed 76 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Fourteen drones struck nine different locations, according to the statement.

The number includes 1,090 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal reported "a cascade shutdown" in Ukraine's power grid in the morning on Jan. 31.

Since the media outlets' last update in mid-January, the names of 4,536 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties.

Polish authorities temporarily closed the airspace along the northern part of Poland's border with Belarus overnight on Jan. 30-31 after unidentified objects — believed to be Belarusian smuggling balloons — were detected in the region.

Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev held "productive and constructive meetings" with U.S. officials in Miami, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Jan. 31.

Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin's threat comes a few days after Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. officials held the latest round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24.

Moldova suffered a major power outage on Jan. 31, leaving most of its capital without electricity in the morning and halting trolleybuses and traffic lights. Parts of Moldova experienced power disruptions when Ukraine reported "a cascade shutdown" in its power grid due to technical malfunctions on high-voltage lines connecting the two countries' power systems. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said transmission lines between Romania and Moldova, as well as between western and central Ukraine, were

Editor's Note: This story is part of the "Hidden Canon"  – a special series celebrating Ukrainian classic literature and aiming to bring it to a wider international audience. The series is supported by the Ukrainian Institute. In Olha Kobylianska’s 1891 novella “A Human Being,” the heroine Olena commits an unforgivable transgression. Not adultery, not theft, not the abandonment of her family — her "crime" is intellectual freedom. She is a woman who thinks for herself and, far worse in the eyes